China Recorded the Launch of OS-X1 through a Satellite

September 12, 2018

The launch of OneSpace’s rocket was captured by a Chinese satellite.

Following the advancement of technology, more and more countries are investing in the field of space exploration. China is one of the latest entrants in this list but has managed quite a lot of space missions in the past few years. The emergence of OneSpace, a private space launch company in China, clearly shows the interest of the Chinese nation in this industry. This Beijing-based organization was founded in 2015 with support from the State Administration for Science, Technology, and Industry for National Defence (SASTIND). Shu Chang, the CEO of OneSpace, is focusing on developing the microsatellites and nanosatellites as he wants to target the small launcher market for now.

OneSpace launched the first private rocket of China on 17th May 2018. The name given to this 9-meter-tall rocket is OS-X and it is designed to carry a payload of 100 kilograms into space. Only the Chinese homegrown technology was used for building this rocket. It traveled 40 kilometers into the air during its first demonstration. Shu Chang told the world they are hoping to launch nearly 10 satellites a year once the vehicle settles itself into the orbit. The improvement in the battery and chip technologies enable small satellites to do what was associated only with their larger counterparts in the past. Consequently, a lot of investment is being made in small satellites as you can achieve desired results by spending only a fraction of the cost.

Recently, OneSpace has launched the successor of the OS-X, called the OS-X1. It also has a solid-fueled booster, just like its predecessor. The sole purpose of this 9-meters-tall rocket is to allow customers to fly research experiments into suborbital space. Similarly, different technologies will be tested by making use of this series of rockets. According to GB Times, the test flight conducted by the Chinese space launch company lasted for 200 seconds during which it traveled 35 kilometers into the air. This was the second successful launch of the series and authorities were quite happy on presenting it to the world. Officials of OneSpace used Twitter to celebrate their moment and said,

“At 12:10:03 on September 7, 2018, One Space commercial sub-orbital rocket OS-X1 was successfully launched at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. The rocket can provide a flight speed of Mach 4.5 for the load. This is the second successful launch of this series of rockets.”

The most amazing thing about this rocket launch was that a satellite was observing it. As a result, we have one of the best videos ever recorded of a launching spacecraft. The video shared on ‘Weibo’, the biggest social media forum in China, captured the moments as OS-X1 rocket began its journey towards the orbit from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert. Dafeng Cao posted this video on Twitter, where it spread like fire in a forest. People from different parts of the world are appreciating this outstanding work.

The credits for this video goes to a Chinese satellite called ‘Jilin-1’. It was launched in October 2015 and is circling in an orbit at an altitude of 535 kilometers above the Earth. This Earth-observation satellite was the first high-resolution optical imaging satellite of China which was launched into space for commercial purposes. Here is a glimpse of that video.

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